Monday, August 30, 2010

Hi everyone! Well, the urge to do some autumn/Halloween stitching proved too strong and I put BBD’s Summer Basket to one side for a day or two and stitched this little one. Not just stitched, but even finished!

I know, me stitching and finishing something at the same time?!?!?! Almost unheard of!!!! It was a very quick little project though and I was on a roll so decided to just keep going!

I do have progress to report on Summer Basket. The alphabet is just about completed apart from the over one ‘y’ and ‘z’. I want to stitch some more of the star motifs at the top and sides so I’m not left with a whole pile of those to stitch at the end and I think I’ll work on those the next day or two. Then I’ve been thinking I should start on the zig-zag border at the bottom and break the stitching of it up a little bit instead of leaving it to the end and having to stitch it all in one go.

Other than that, I’ve still got itchy fingers to leave summer behind and move on to something more seasonal for autumn. I definitely plan to stitch the lovely freebie over at Plain & Fancy Merchant but I also see some stash diving coming up. I’ve a couple of charts in mind…. let’s see what calls my name the loudest!

Hope all is well with you and yours. I’m almost scared to say anything in case I’m tempting fate but we’ve been having some lovely sunny days lately! What a difference to see sun and blue sky instead of all the cloud and rain that seemed to happen most of August!!!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Hi everyone! Thank you for all your lovely comments on my finishes in my last blog post. You can guess the notion to finish anything more has not struck since!! However, hopefully it will be here again soon! What I do have to share this time round is progress on Summer Basket…..

And I’ve finished the stitching on my August Christmas ornament. My choice this month was Renato Parolin’s Joy from the Peace, Love, Joy chart. I used DMC 816 for this and some 32ct antique white (I think!!) that I had in my stash.

Hope all is well with you and yours. DS#1 was home last week, headed off on Sunday, and it was great to see him. This weekend DS#2 will be arriving home after doing his month’s internship with a company in Leeds. He’ll be home for about 3 weeks before he heads back to university. School starts here next week and while I’m past the stage of any of my three starting back to school there’s no doubt it does make me feel like autumn is just around the corner. That and the fact that it's now dark by 9pm. Where have the long summer evenings gone?!?!! I’m feeling some autumn stitching coming up very soon!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hi everyone! Hope all is well in your part of the world. Well, what do they say about when the mood strikes????? I am very much a procrastinator when it comes to finishing, but every so often, out of the blue, I’ll suddenly feel like dabbling with card, glue, ruler, fabric and ribbon. When I do have those days???? Well, I know I need to make the most of them!! So, this time round not just a progress pic to share but some finishing pics because I have finally got my backside in gear and spent a little bit of time cutting, glueing and finishing!

First off, my progress on BBD’s Summer Basket. I just love the colours in this one. I know when this is done I’ll be anxious to start on something autumn/Halloween related but as the sun struggles to shine here for any length of time this is a nice one to be working on.

Then, some Christmas ornament finishes ….. this one finished as a flatfold

LHN Red House in Winter using suggested fabric & threads

Then this one …….

JBW Christmas Tree, unknown fabric, suggested threads & ribbon trim

Followed by one that has been sitting in the finishing pile for more months than I care to admit too! If you take a look at my 2010 finishes in the sidebar you won’t see it listed there because yes, this one has been waiting every so patiently for me to give it some love and care since last year!!!

Another one that’s been waiting for a while but, at least, I have it listed as a 2010 finish, admittedly back in March!!!!

Dear only knows how many more months it will be before the mood to finish strikes again but, I do feel like I’ve made a little bit of a dent in my finishing pile and it feels good!!!!

Thanks for your continued visits and comments. I’m reading a lot about the high temps many of you are having this summer in the US. Hope the heat starts to die down a little for you all soon and it becomes much more comfortable. I can’t even begin to imagine living in that heat!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Hi everyone! Well, I seem to have hit August and have a bit more of my stitching mojo back. My mind has been buzzing about what I’d like to be working on in the next few months, I’m feeling enthusiastic again about stitching a Christmas ornament each month and it feels good!!!!

First of all let me report a finish……

Yes, I put the final stitches in BBD’s Pins and Tulips Pincushion a couple of days ago. I did enjoy this one. Now, me with my symmetrical mind couldn’t just stitch the letter L in the top left corner. No, it didn’t sit right with me that there wasn’t a letter in the bottom right so I had to put a T for my surname there! A little bit of a change from the original but it works for me.

Next up is my new start. I wanted to squeeze in one last summer piece before I start getting the urge to do some autumn stitching. So, here’s BBD’s Summer Basket which I’ve seen popping up on various blogs the last little while. I just love the colours in this one and, of course, it’s an alphabet …… need I say more?!?!?!! I put the first stitches in this yesterday and here’s my progress. I am not using the suggested fabric but have gone with a cream which I think should work fine.I’ve had some nice mail in the last week, the latest BBD Anniversaries of the Heart has arrived plus I ordered this fabric from The Pied Piper. I’d seen their name mentioned on KarenV's blog and having checked their website saw several pieces of fabric to order. Quick, prompt service and I’ll be ordering from them again.

Next week DS#1 will be home for a few days. Tomorrow he’s off to Edinburgh. When he was a student he had a summer job in the Edinburgh Festival and he still goes back every year to meet up with friends and go to some of the shows. Hope all is well in your part of the world and, as ever, thanks for dropping by!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Hi everyone! Can anyone tell me how it got to be August?!?!?! It seems like the month of July just flew in and I can’t say I managed to get too much stitching done! Here’s hoping for better things in August! First of all though, thanks for all your lovely comments on my completed Sampler Folk. For now it’s in my ‘finished’ pile but I’ll be framing it at some point.

Since last I blogged I have started this one……

Yes, another that I have loved but which has been languishing in my stash pile for a while, BBD's Pins & Tulips Pincushion from their booklet Thank You, Sarah Tobias. This one I’m stitching on some 32ct Puck Elne of Lynnyn linen that I had left after stitching Ellen Birdseye. I’m using the suggested threads and, given how quickly this is stitching up (only started it yesterday) I’m hopeful of a quick finish.

DH and I had a lovely time when we were away. We first of all spent a couple of days with our eldest son and then we visited with our daughter. It was good to see them both and spend a little bit of time with them. DS#1 plans to come home later on this month for a week so we’ll see him again soon. DD has no plans for a visit home in the next few months so it could be nearer to Christmas before we see her again.

We also spent a day here – Hay-on-Wye. This is a lovely town, full of second-hand bookshops and, if you love books, you’ll be in heaven! Here are just a few of them.

I loved how so many of the shops had comfy chairs that you could sit in and read. There was even one that had a resident tabby cat! No-one minded if you wanted to spend ages browsing and now that we’ve visited DH and I would love to go back again for the Festival that’s held each year at the end of May. Aside from bookshops, look at this gorgeous view from the car park?!

And finally, before I go, remember the Christmas ornament stitching that wasn’t really happening last time I blogged?!?! Well, I do have a finish to report for July…… this one …..

Yes, one that was a very quick, easy stitch but I do love these JBW Christmas designs. I plan on trying to finish this one myself – let’s see how I do with a triangular shape!!!!!

Hope all is well in your part of the world. Thanks for dropping by and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I’m always thrilled to hear from you.